This week, the Zuwara leadership reached an agreement with the Libyan Army (which is under the command of the Presidential Command) to secure and reopen the Ras Ajdir border crossing after mediation by tribal elders from the coastal plain.
The Joint Military Force, under the leadership of the Libyan Army Western Military Region, in coordination with the Zuwara Military Operations Room, was allowed to advance to the border and prepare to open the crossing.
On the morning of 27 March, the formation of the Libyan Army’s ‘Joint Military Force’ for deployment to Ras Ajdir was completed. The first elements of the 555th Infantry Brigade (InfBrig), the 111th InfBrig and the 166th (Misrata) InfBrig arrived in a staging area in Sabratha in the afternoon. In the late afternoon, the first elements of the Joint Military Force advanced to Ras Ajdir via Zuwara.
In the course of 28 March, the Joint Military Force took over the security of the entire border crossing and its surroundings. On the same day, Libyan Army Chief of Staff (CoS) Muhammed al-Haddad and Deputy CoS Salaheddin al-Namroush inspected the Joint Military Force in Ras Ajdir. The two also assessed the forces required to permanently secure the border crossing. Haddad emphasized the importance of reopening the border crossing as soon as possible.
On 29 March, Presidential Council Deputies Musa al-Koni and Abdullah al-Lafi visited the Ras Ajdir border crossing together with Haddad and Namroush. The two emphasized their support for the resumption of activities at the border by the relevant authorities. They also met with the civil and military leadership in Zuwara, with Haddad and the mayors of the Amazigh towns of Kabaw, Jadu, Wazin, al-Qalaa, Nalut and Yefren in attendance. The representatives of Zuwara praised the Libyan Army’s efforts to secure the border and emphasized that they stood by the state and its institutions.